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Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, and the Epic Story of the Chinese in America
by Michael Luo (Author) Format: Paperback
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (188)
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR NONFICTION - From New Yorker writer Michael Luo comes a masterful narrative history of the Chinese in America that traces the sorrowful theme of exclusion and documents their more than century-long struggle to belong.
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: THE NEW YORKER, THE WASHINGTON POST, TIME, BOSTON GLOBE, BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK, KIRKUS REVIEWS, LIBRARY JOURNAL, CHINA BOOKS REVIEW
"A story about aspiration and belonging that is as universal as it is profound."--Patrick Radden Keefe, author of Say Nothing
"A gift to anyone interested in American history. I couldn't stop turning pages."--Charles Yu, author of Interior Chinatown
In Strangers in the Land, award-winning journalist Michael Luo tells the story of a people who, beginning in the middle of the nineteenth century, migrated by the tens of thousands to a distant land they called Gum Shan--Gold Mountain. Americans initially welcomed these Chinese arrivals, but, as their numbers grew, horrific episodes of racial terror erupted on the Pacific coast. Federal lawmakers enacted legislation aimed at excluding Chinese laborers from the country, the first time the United States barred a people based on their race. The Chinese became the country's earliest undocumented immigrants: hounded, counted, suspected, surveilled.
In 1889, while upholding Chinese exclusion, Supreme Court Justice Stephen J. Field characterized them as "strangers in the land." Only in 1965 did America's gates swing open to people like Luo's parents, immigrants from Taiwan. Today there are more than twenty-two million people of Asian descent in the United States and yet the "stranger" label, Luo writes, remains. Drawing on archives from across the country and written with style and sweep, Strangers in the Land is a revelatory and unforgettable American story.
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A NEW YORKER ESSENTIAL READ A WASHINGTON POST NOTABLE BOOK A TIME MUST-READ BOOK A BOSTON GLOBE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A KIRKUS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A CHINA BOOKS REVIEW BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A TIME MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2025 A NEW YORK TIMES NONFICTION BOOK TO READ THIS SPRING
"Strangers in the Land is more than a story of an immigrant group accepting a wretched fate. Luo wisely puts the human experience at the center of this narrative. . . . In the process, he restores a voice to the forgotten men and women who endured endless broadsides in their adoption of a new country. . . . It's these people who animate the book, filling the pages with stories of endurance and hard-fought victories but also searing accounts of sorrow, violence and injustice. Along the way, Luo reveals something essential about America: Any democracy's promises should be measured against the way it treats its most marginalized members. At once an indictment of how our nation failed that test before and a reminder of how some pushed back, Strangers in the Land deserves a place on the shelf beside other essential works of American history." --The Washington Post
"You can't paint a complete picture of America without [the story of Chinese Americans], and the New Yorker journalist Michael Luo tells it persuasively in Strangers in the Land, a granular account of Chinese migration to the United States. In an evenhanded style that yields neither a woke polemic nor a sanitized past, he traces the lives of immigrants to a country that actively drew them in and then tried to push them out. . . [The book] succeeds through its little biographies of individuals - a range of quirky and fascinating figures, both Chinese and white, who drive the narrative. . . [and offer] a view on the full complexity of American immigration." --The New York Times Book Review
"Michael Luo's important study reminds us that without such indemnities, any group--but particularly the most vulnerable among us--could find itself excluded or expelled." --The Wall Street Journal
"In Strangers in the Land, Michael Luo has written a sweeping history that somehow feels intimate, a narrative of irrational bigotry and legal violence that somehow shines with hope. In a moment of anti-immigrant fever, this work arrives like a balm." --Boston Globe
"The story of the Chinese in America has been told before, but this history -- written by New Yorker editor Michael Luo -- does so with aplomb and verve. . . . Through individual stories he puts flesh on the bones of this history, combining assiduous research with compelling prose to complicate our understanding of Chinese migration to America over the last century and a half." -- China Books Review
"Luo celebrates the vitality and persistence of Chinese Americans while lamenting feelings of precariousness that pervade even today. His chronicle adds a much-needed Asian and Pacific voice to primarily Eurocentric narratives of nineteenth-century immigration." --Booklist (starred review)
"Giv[es] voice to the first Asian Americans. . . Narrative history[ies] of the Chinese experience in America [are], of course, legion. . . What distinguishes [Strangers in the Land] from the others, however, is that Luo's book, though sweeping in scope, is also microscopic when it comes to stories. . . Readers interested in American history, not only Chinese American history, will savor these pages. An estimable and vital work of history that honors the Chinese American experience." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"The scope of Luo's book is massive and its recounting of history impressively detailed. . . . [Strangers in the Land] is a meticulous triumph of research and testimony, and its greatest strength is its attention to the individuals of this history--both known and unknown. . . . [The book] firmly asserts Chinese humanity in a history that has sought to exclude it. . . . With this book, Luo asks what makes a real American, ultimately demonstrating the ever-shifting goalposts of how to answer the question. . . . By bringing light to this history, Strangers in the Land suggests to Americans today that this [anti-Asian] political force is older, darker, and more enduring than we even know." --Foreign Policy
"A remarkable book. . . . Michael Luo. . . has taken a subject that most people of Chinese descent, like me, are aware of in a vaguely ominous way and turned it into a terrifying yet compelling narrative." --Bloomberg
"A lavishly detailed, inspiring, and sometimes infuriating exploration of why a true sense of belonging remains elusive for so many Chinese Americans." --Washington Independant Review of Books
"Sweeping. . . Amid the current paroxysms concerning immigration, diversity, and race, his history of earlier, often dismaying, confrontations and crises could not be more important." --Harvard Magazine
"An impressive feat. . . Strangers in the Land is an important book." --Rain Taxi
"This book is a gift to anyone interested in American history. I learned something on every page. And I couldn't stop turning pages. Michael Luo has somehow synthesized two hundred years of history into a compelling narrative that manages to be comprehensive, illuminating, and deeply moving. I'll treasure this work and return to it often and I imagine many others will, too." --Charles Yu, author of Interior Chinatown, winner of the National Book Award
"This book is an astonishing feat of urgent history. Michael Luo has unearthed a buried chapter of America's rise, in which Chinese immigrants fought their way through violence and scapegoating to build the nation's future. But he illuminates much more than the past; Strangers in the Land reimagines how the idea of Asia reverberates in American culture today, pulled between belonging, rejection, success, and suspicion. A powerful new entry in the canon on American identity." --Evan Osnos, author of Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China, winner of the National Book Award
"Strangers in the Land is what history should be--richly detailed, authoritative, and compelling. Luo pieces together the stunning and shocking story of a people's journey to this country, and in the process reveals an essential part of the story of America." --David Grann, New York Times-bestselling author of The Wager and Killers of the Flower Moon
"An epic of both the best and worst aspects of the American experiment, Strangers in the Land is a work of history that is deeply researched, deftly written, and highly relevant today. In the vivid, often heartbreaking, and ultimately inspiring experiences of Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans, Luo finds a deeper story about aspiration and belonging that is as universal as it is profound." --Patrick Radden Keefe, New York Times-bestselling author of Say Nothing
"This is not the story of a people being hated. This is the moving story of a people's persistence and resistance -- how individuals, families, and changing communities looked hard at rejection, endured violence, consumed daily bitterness, and yet sought the higher purposes of humanity and better lives. With profound feeling, clear narrative, and unyielding hope for a greater understanding, Michael Luo has written a definitive biography of the first Asians in America. Luo's book serves as a witness of how powerful the love and aspirations of immigrants make real the most beautiful promises of a new homeland." --Min Jin Lee, New York Times-bestselling author of Free Food for Millionaires and Pachinko
"In Strangers in the Land, Michael Luo shines a bright light on the unwavering patriotism and determination that is the Chinese American legacy. By unearthing in intimate, empathic details US immigration law's roots in Chinese exclusion, Luo writes into the record what history books and courses have long buried but what every Chinese American feels in their bones. This book has enriched my understanding of American law, of Asian American identity, and of my own sense of self. I cannot think of a human being who would not be bettered by reading this canonical work. Strangers in the Land is powerful, essential reading for us all." --Qian Julie Wang, New York Times-bestselling author of Beautiful Country
"Tracing echoes of today's debates around immigration and exclusion to the past, Luo's vividly told, carefully researched, and deeply compassionate book is an essential contribution to the continually unfolding story of the Chinese in America." --Hua Hsu, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Stay True
"Impressively researched and beautifully told, Strangers in the Land offers a new and much-needed history of a people and community that have always been central to the American story." --Erika Lee, Bae Family Professor of History, Harvard University, and author of The Making of Asian America: A History
"The violent, terrible history of Chinese exclusion and xenophobia is told with feeling and expansive research. Michael Luo's excellent recovery of this vital story is critical in this difficult time." --Gordon H. Chang, Professor, Department of History and Olive H. Palmer Professor in Humanities, Stanford University, and author of Ghosts of Gold Mountain: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad
"Michael Luo's new history of the Chinese in the U.S. is a book for our time, when anti-Chinese sentiment has again gripped American politics. In Luo's masterful account, Chinese emigrants' and Chinese Americans' stories and voices are front and center. They encountered and resisted racist harassment, violence, and laws from the California gold rush to today's new gilded age. Shaping Chinese American communities and America at large, it is a story told with sensitivity and renewed urgency." --Mae M. Ngai, Lung Family Professor of Asian American Studies and Professor of History, Columbia University, and author of The Chinese Question: The Gold Rushes and Global Politics
About the Author
MICHAEL LUO is an executive editor at The New Yorker and writes regularly for the magazine on politics, religion, and Asian American issues. He joined The New Yorker in 2016. Before that, he spent thirteen years at the New York Times, as a metro reporter, national correspondent, and investigative reporter and editor. He is a recipient of a George Polk Award and a Livingston Award for Young Journalists.
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Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, and the Epic Story of the Chinese in AmericaProduct details
Publisher : Vintage
Publication date : 14 April 2026
Language : English
Print length : 576 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593467728
ISBN-13 : 978-0593467725
Item weight : 612 g
Dimensions : 15.42 x 2.97 x 23.32 cm
Best Sellers Rank: 46 in History of Immigrants in the United States46 in Asian-American Studies
201 in Emigration & Immigration Studies (Books)
Customer Reviews:
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (188)
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From other countries
J
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent overview that is well worth reading
Reviewed in the United States on 20 December 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Truly an impressive book - it’s not only well researched, it’s very well written from beginning to end.
The book is an excellent overview of Chinese immigrants and their treatment in America, with a focus on the latter half of the 1800’s. Historical events are interspersed with accounts of people who lived them. I’m in a nonfiction book club and sometimes the books we read can be informative but dry. That is not the case here. The author truly has a gift for prose - chapter transitions leave you wanting to read more, and the stories are masterful in quickly painting a picture of people and events, really bringing history to life.
Sometimes the books can be hard to read because the stories are so sad, with people forced to leave their communities, suffering injuries or even lynching, and too many injustices to list. But I am glad to have read them, because these events should not be forgotten. As William Faulkner wrote, “The past is never dead. It's not even past.” A counterpoint to that is humans have the ability to preserve knowledge through writing, thereby allowing future generations to build on that knowledge and both remember and learn from the past. The author has done a commendable job here in preserving this history, and it is well worth reading.
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connie chan
5.0 out of 5 stars Well researched and thorough!
Reviewed in the United States on 4 May 2025
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This author has done his research! A compelling compilation of rich personal stories that fill in the gaps that our history books left out. A great read whether you are Asian or not. It opened my eyes to historical events and legislation I was not aware of. Will be read and studied for years to come.
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Irene W.
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Read on American Stories
Reviewed in the United States on 3 June 2025
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This work is well-written and important for everyone who wants to know and understand American history, not only the history of Chinese in the U.S. The stories are fascinating and easy to read and the history is relevant for today's conversations about how the U.S. treats immigrants and nonwhite outsiders. This is an important book that should become required reading for anyone wanting to learn about the history of Chinese and immigration history in the U.S.
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Reader 612
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book!
Reviewed in the United States on 30 August 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Well researched book.
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mc
5.0 out of 5 stars An incredibly important book for our time
Reviewed in the United States on 12 July 2025
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This book blew me away. Even as an Asian-American who is relatively knowledgeable about our country's history, I was completely unaware of most of the events described in this book until I read it. By the end, it was clear to me that the story of the Chinese in America is an essential part our country's history. Sadly, this story includes decades of widespread mass violence against Chinese immigrants with almost no accountability, efforts (very often successful) to eradicate Chinese immigrants from communities across the country through intimidation and force, and of course, the Chinese Exclusion Act. But the story also includes the persistence and triumph of the Chinese as they fought through seemingly insurmountable obstacles and formed what is today a vital and thriving community in this country. How is it that I, and probably most Americans, do not know any of this history? Well, most of it is simply not taught in our schools. Unfortunately, the powerless and marginalized are so often left out by those who write history. I'm so grateful to the author for digging into some of the most obscure archives to find these stories and tell them in such a compelling and relevant way.
U.S. history courses in our schools should devote time to teaching the events covered in this book. I am hoping this book prompts a serious discussion about such a change. As the final page of this book observes, a sense of belonging for Asian-Americans in this country remains elusive. What's worse, even as Asian-Americans have made massive progress in this country, a resurgence of anti-Asian sentiment and even anti-Asian violence is never far away. But to guard against that outcome, not just for Asian-Americans but all immigrant groups, it is critical that enough of us (including non-Asian Americans) understand how our country came to embrace such hatred before. This book gives me hope that it's never too late to change what we teach about our country's history, to learn new lessons from that history, and to use that knowledge to create a better country for all of us. Thank you, Michael Luo!
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Kamikawa San
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Informative Read On The Chinese Immigration Story In America
Reviewed in the United States on 13 October 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
A most informative and in depth story of the Chinese immigrant populace in America. Bought a dozen extra copies to give away as gifts.
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KH in San Diego
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on 10 February 2026
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Very good serious book on the history of the Chinese coming to America
They were treated so badly
Many parallels to today
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wytjasmine
5.0 out of 5 stars Good deal on an informational book
Reviewed in the United States on 6 December 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Super informational very thorough research I’m learning a lot
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RL
3.0 out of 5 stars Empathy?
Reviewed in the United States on 3 June 2026
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
An outstanding compilation, but I still had to laugh and shake my head. The author's motivation to write stems from an incident when standing on a corner in toney Upper Eastside Manhattan, a bicyclist rides by and issues a slur. No doubt the subjects in his book endured far worst on a daily basis.
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Faye
5.0 out of 5 stars Better Than Described
Reviewed in the United States on 20 January 2026
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Book arrived on time and in excellent condition.
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History Fan
5.0 out of 5 stars Narrative history at its best
Reviewed in the United States on 18 May 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
The Washington Post recently gave this book a rave review, saying that it "deserves a place on the shelf beside other essential works of American history." Hear, hear. It's a monumental work, but it's also an incredibly propulsive read. I found myself irresistibly drawn into the story of the Chinese in America and experiencing the twists and turns of their saga. There's a lot of darkness here but also light. I came away marveling at their story of persistence and resilience. Essential reading indeed.
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J. A. Cho
5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Work for Our Time
Reviewed in the United States on 21 June 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This book is clearly incredibly well researched, but because the writer is a New Yorker writer, the narrative is strong. Don't let this book intimidate you by its size. From the first lines of the introduction, it captured my attention. This is such an important work, never more-so than in the times we're currently living in.
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wantonkuponoodles
5.0 out of 5 stars History that needed to be preserved.
Reviewed in the United States on 30 June 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
1st Gen or ABC, should learn the history and struggles and of Chinese-Americans. Especially in light of landmark cases like Wong Kim Ark and the shift of Birthright Citizenship.
The numerous massacres are a dark history that needs to be remembered, as it is often sanitize or not taught at all.
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Jack
5.0 out of 5 stars First Edition Signed by Author
Reviewed in the United States on 25 June 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Based on positive reviews of this well researched book, I decided to order a copy to read and eventually share with my children.
To save a few dollars I purchased a used copy. It arrived quickly and, to my surprise, I received a first edition which had been signed by the author. 👍🏻
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Olivia
5.0 out of 5 stars Educational
Reviewed in the United States on 12 September 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Still reading, but very informative! It is sad this is not in our history books in high school. This is why our country maintains division and exclusion. A must read for insight!
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crazygardener
3.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read, but a Bummer
Reviewed in the United States on 18 November 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Somwhat repetitive and greatly too detailed biography of our national shame of the treatment of the Chinese. I highly recommend it, but you will need a anti-depressant.
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J. Gravener
5.0 out of 5 stars An absolutely stunning history
Reviewed in the United States on 6 May 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
I have never forgotten Iris Chang's great book about the Chinese in America, and since having moved to San Francisco 25 years ago, I haven interested in reading about the Chinese experience here in the United States. Their tale echoes through the histories of other immigrants today. I'm so grateful for book like this so that I can continue to learn and appreciate ultimately appreciate my neighbors.
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William S.
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United States on 20 June 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Good, informative book, but extremely long.
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Cornholio
5.0 out of 5 stars History: a mirror of the present
Reviewed in the United States on 14 June 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This country did not become international in the past 50 years. It’s been a global country since before the civil war. There’s real history to Asian immigrants that is hidden in plain sight, which, when uncovered, bears eerie semblance to the politics of America in 2025.
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EN
5.0 out of 5 stars Truth
Reviewed in the United States on 24 October 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Arrived in Great condition. Reading it now.
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Pamela Russe
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
Reviewed in the United States on 30 August 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Best read ever. Came in excellent condition. Michael Wu is a very talented author. I have been reading steadily since it arrived. A+
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J. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on 12 August 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Good writer about 1/3 into story its amazing- tragic- sad and strangely like what’s happening today Recommend a good read
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Jim Tam
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read
Reviewed in the United States on 6 August 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Great, balanced perspective on the plight of the Chinese in America. The history of the US isn't pretty and it has to be told.
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Wyoming Bas Bleu
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written and well researched
Reviewed in the United States on 15 July 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Great book. I haven't finished it yet but highly recommend it. It has historical information to where I live.
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DavidY
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on 14 August 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Captivating history of the Chinese American immigration. You'll never learn this history in school.
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Uranus2
5.0 out of 5 stars Timely reading.
Reviewed in the United States on 24 August 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Wonderfully researched book about a history I wasn’t familiar with.
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william fenstemacher
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read
Reviewed in the United States on 31 August 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Excellent book about Chinese entry into America
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Tiff
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book
Reviewed in the United States on 15 July 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Great buy. Very well written book, educational and truthful. Definitely recommend to everyone.
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Russelll
1.0 out of 5 stars Book was received in terrible condition
Reviewed in the United States on 10 July 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
I purchased this book as new. However, upon arrival the jacket was dirty. scratched and torn. The spine of the book was broken and the edges had been severely damaged. If this is a new book it has certainly been mishandled.
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